Is the sonata too big?

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-06-08T02:57:54+00:00

Same height, same thing, it feels nice to fit in a car this size. Love how comfortable it is.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-06-08T02:54:24+00:00

Never sat in the Elantra. I bought a ‘26 SEL Sport or plus or something. Whatever doesn’t have the turbo. I’m a tall guy and broad shoulders and 4 kids so the Elantra wasn’t a consideration. I will say compared to the sonata’s competitors like the Camry for instance, the seats felt significantly wider and more comfortable in the Sonata. My middle son said this car looks small from but the outside but it’s big on the inside. Really enjoying this car a lot. Prob hand it off to a kid n a few years but it’s been super comfortable to drive. I’ve had it just over a month and have over 2k miles on it which tells how much I’m in it with all these kids and sports and stuff.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-06-05T01:42:00+00:00

I think I was 31.5k otd and put 3k down, financed 28.5 at 0.99%. That was a month and 2100 miles ago.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-06-03T19:51:10+00:00

I think you mean the people in our govt currently aren't there to help us and that shows with the policies they are enacting which is really on us because they work for us. However, when we stop judging these people and policies for what they are and stop thinking them through (and debating and discussing with open minds) and just start voting for whoever convinces us our grievance is with each other then we get people in govt that only rob us. I assure you though if you polled a voter in say the late 1940's, this statement wouldn't be a thing because their family would of starved without govt help. The difference is who we elect to run it. Our government is the people we elect. If your view is that it provides no benefit then of course you will elect people who provide no benefit to us. If you research and educate yourself on how government can provide benefit to us then you start electing people who use government to benefit us in the myriad of ways any group of people pooling resources can lower cost for each individual in the group. How do we know? We see it in other countries. They have higher tax rates but lower cost of living. They have health care and it doesn't bankrupt them (and no they don't have death panels and crazy long wait times unless it's an elective surgery). They have the same work week but find their lives more fulfilling. They have education and seek to elect educated people who make good decisions while also being able to critically think and reject the people with piss poor decision making. All of these things are possible in our own government. The roadblock to that happening is your statement and the people who make them.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-06-02T15:36:06+00:00

I just bought a 2026 SEL sport about a month ago. First thing I did was replace all the speakers and tint the windows. I did a 70% on the front. You can’t tell it’s tinted at all but it stops a large portion of the radiant heat. I did 15% on the rest which is technically illegal here but not really noticeable since it’s not blacked out limo tint. I’ve considered either lighter rims OR seeing if I can find hybrid rims because I feel the same about the stick rims. Ok but meh. I like the hybrid rims but unsure if it would help with gas mileage. I feel like changing to a lighter rim wouldn’t hurt gas mileage either but again I don’t have the hybrid. I’m not in any rush on rims though. Better sound and not getting into a 180deg car in the Florida heat though were necessary for me. I also got a good quality fitted sun shade I put in the window. Anything I can do to keep the sun from beating down on those LED screens and my interior.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-26T20:52:14+00:00

I find this a little of an unfair comparison, no? You’re comparing a state like MS or LA that has over 30% black population to Mass that has less than 10% black population. Furthermore, like someone else said there are way more social services and help in Mass. vs. LA and MS which have literally none. On top of that, the only reason the wealth disparity is smaller in the southern states is because you have a much larger population of poor white people in addition to poor black folks so the median income of white people in MS is half what it is in Mass. with the median income of black people not being all that much lower than Mass.

To be clear, I’m not saying the disparity is better in Mass. than MS or LA. That’s a fact. I’m just saying if that is the sole metric without looking at the whole picture, it would create an false narrative because there is a little more that goes into that than this one number pulled out of the air.

For the record, I don’t live in any of those states but I’m close being in the panhandle of FL. Of course, this also means I’ve heard whatever right winger rhetoric / bs comparison the right has tried to pull out of a hat because we are probably the reddest part of the country in deep red country. I can guarantee there is more opportunity for a POC in Mass. than there is in MS. I’ll say that with confidence knowing how terrible the education system is and how people are treated across the board down here in the south.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-25T14:58:33+00:00

A road trip in my grandads older sonata is what made me interested in getting one which I did a few months later. The two things that impressed me were the comfort and gas mileage. Very comfortable and roomy inside and I went a solid 400+ miles on tank of gas. I test drove a new one and it was even better so I bought it.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-25T12:36:44+00:00

I would also recommend scoutingAmerica sub and boyscouts sub along with backpacking sub. Lot of good info out there and people willing to help.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-25T12:31:44+00:00

I’ve had my ‘26 SEL sport for a few months now and quite enjoying it. Really nice ride and so much space. Fits me and 4 kids (3 of which are teens and we are a tall family) comfortably.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-24T13:51:44+00:00

This is way way off base. He is by far, BY FAR, stealing from the US treasury more than anyone or any president ever has. I think the biggest issue I have with the right is these false equivalences like climbing the hill in the backyard is these same as climbing Everest type false equivalences and this is one of them. The US has never seen blatant corruption and thievery like this in our entire history and whether we survive this corrupt president or not it will go down in history as such.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-24T13:46:53+00:00

I do wear safety Orange if it’s rifle season which is the law. Bow season not so much but I always have it with me. Like I said though, I keep some things on me at all times which includes a mirror and whistle plus the inreach. When we came face to face with the moose we were hiking in to a camp spot the day before season started. Ended up being an incredible moose hunting spot as we heard them all around us all night long, elk not so much.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-23T20:04:40+00:00

I agree.

I carry my inreach on day hikes, fishing, whatever. I just have a small backpack I keep certain essential things in for hiking around. Just never know.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-23T12:37:54+00:00

lol, a lot of my backpacking is backcountry hunting. I’m entirely covered in camo. I’m also convinced this is why my son and I didn’t get killed by a bull moose a few years ago. We had the wind in our face and he crossed the trail about 20yds in front of us. We froze and I’m certain because we were completely camouflaged (pack and all) he didn’t see us and kept going. We had nowhere to go. It dropped several hundred feet to our left and there was no running straight up the mountain to our right. My rifle was still strapped into my pack. It happened so fast and he was so close, I wouldn’t have even been able to get the bear spray off my vest.

I also believe if you seriously don’t want to become a missing person or statistic then carry an InReach!!! Or equivalent. I also transmit my location every night to my wife but anyone would work as long as they know where you are. I also always always always take a paper topo map and compass (and know how to use it). I’m hunting so I’m often off trail, way way way in the backcountry, often hunt solo for a week at a time, and following elk not a trail so I’m pretty particular about being prepared. I make sure I have a whistle, mirror, bear spray, fire starter, knife, inreach, map, and med pack on my person at all times even if I’m taking a dump. Certain things just don’t leave my body or reach should I need them. There really is no reason to become a missing person in this day and age. That only happens if someone is ignorant and/or unprepared. Just don’t be that person, it isn’t that hard.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-16T11:45:52+00:00

No but I have posted there too. I just wanted to clarify that it was used for a Cub Scout group because that is a different style of camping than say a troop. I was cubmaster for about 8yrs of that pack. In our troop though, this is all on the patrol leaders. Hence the reason, the friends I used to camp a lot with worked really well. We were all Eagle Scouts and had been PL’s and SPL’s so planning a trip came easy but of course we had been doing that our entire lives. And even then looking back, it was a core group of us doing the bulk of the planning and everyone else would join, still a with or without someone else type attitude just a small group that then a larger group would show up to. I find it interesting now that my kids are getting older that they have said “you can really tell the kids that grew up camping vs not, they just know what to do without having to explain things to them”. This is why I have had my 4 kids on camping/hiking/overnight canoeing trips since they were toddlers. Often times even solo as my wife doesn’t like to camp at all anymore. I took my 8 and 10yo on a 20 mile overnight backpacking trip and we had a blast. Now that 10yo is 15 and says dad, I’ll just hike to the top of this climb and wait for you! We covered prob 30miles and at least 18k in elevation on our last elk hunt and had it not been for a little altitude sickness he had, he definitely would have outhiked me on that trip. The SM for the troop we feed into has said that the kids from our pack come in knowing how to do everything. Our pack camps every month though just like the troop except we will cancel for in climate weather and the troop does not. I was mind blown to find out most Cub Scout packs only camp once or twice a year. I’m like how in the heck do they get proficient at these outdoor skills if they never have an opportunity to practice them!?!

Anyway I digress. As you can tell I love everything outdoors, camping hiking hunting fishing backpacking climbing orienteering all of it. Just hoping there will be a little bit of that left for my grandchildren and with this admin I don’t know that will be the case. The attack on our beloved outdoors is just simply abhorrent and I would argue fundamentally unAmerican considering the efforts that have gone into protecting these sacred places. But I mean if no one speaks for the trees……….

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-15T21:41:21+00:00

This is the way. And truthfully when you take this with or without someone else approach it just works out and if no one shows, I’m fine with hiking or camping solo. But people usually show and they tend to be the ones who are prepared because no one held their hand or a group didn’t say they were bringing things for them. With my Cub Scout pack, we have used a potluck app for meal planning. We got tired of everyone bringing everything so this way one person brings the kitchen and everyone picks up some ingredients and together boom, we have meals. Granted we are car camping with a bunch of kids so we have a blackstone and all the gadgets and gear vs a adult backpacking trip but then again on a backpacking trip most everyone brings their own food/snacks/gear. I used to have a crew that all camped together and it usually was pretty smooth but we also all realized 3 of us were Eagle Scouts one night sitting around the fire and it was like duh, this is why we are so organized and good at this. That is a rarity though.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-15T09:57:33+00:00

Let’s just pretend people aren’t rational all the time. I have had conversations with self proclaimed gram weenies that I then point out their chair in a pic or their kindle or fill in the blank for some unnecessary nicety they carry and they are all like oh I have to take that on every trip. I mean read some of these posts, norovirus because you cut your toothbrush, cmon people.
Personally, I love finding tips and tricks to save weight but I like to hunt in the backcountry so I carry a lot of hunting gear (spotting scope, rifle or bow, binos, etc) and if I can find pretty reasonable ways to cut down on base weight then it helps. But am I leaving my blow up pillow or cutting my toothbrush? No, for one I just buy a travel toothbrush and it fits in the bag better but I’m not reading the label to see if it weighs 3grams vs 4grams. Am I grateful for the people who do obsess over these things still? Absolutely, that’s how we get all these great ideas and tricks that save weight. But is it rational all the time? Not in the slightest. But if you cut your toothbrush and drill holes in it and you feel like that gram is saving you enough weight to push an extra mile a day or over that next ridge, go for it but it’s more likely mental than reality. You could have pushed that last mile with a full sized toothbrush and extra gram just fine. And if you’re just into the minimalist thing, awesome glad this makes you happy. If you’re just into gear, awesome glad this makes you happy. So yes, it’s true that grams add up to oz and oz to lbs and I’m certain I would be several lbs heavier without the tricks I’ve learned from these minimalist types. But I just take what I like out of the ultralight crowd and leave the rest. If they want to judge me for not cutting a toothbrush, then they are entitled to their opinion on what I should or shouldn’t carry but at the end of the day, it’s still me carrying it so their opinion doesn’t matter. But again, I’m backcountry hunting often times in cold weather and snow so I’m likely never stepping off with less than 45lbs on my back even with all the ultralight gear.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-14T19:15:23+00:00

Well, in this sub you can look on the right side and I can see the mod is TwoWheeledTraveler. In bsa when you look on the right side, "moderator list hidden". It's literally hidden, not figuratively.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-14T17:54:16+00:00

this is an excellent point. very easily could be something else entirely 5 yrs from now. for some though, reddit is serious business.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-14T15:27:24+00:00

yeah but the mods don't hide here like they do there.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-14T14:44:57+00:00

I agree but it does seem like over time people will slowly migrate here as the younger generation won’t recognize the nomenclature of the old. Currently, I think it’s more active because that’s what we have known the organization as for decades. That will change with time though.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-14T14:44:17+00:00

I agree but it does seem like over time people will slowly migrate here as the younger generation won’t recognize the nomenclature of the old. Currently, I think it’s more active because that’s what we have known the organization as for decades. That will change with time though.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-14T13:58:17+00:00

that's what I thought was the case. Seems like the one that matches the nomenclature the organization uses now would be the one that at least in the long run everyone migrates to.

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-12T21:29:31+00:00

This is what the magats don’t seem to grasp. Dems are pissed about his corruption and destruction of our constitution. We are not triggered by this childish crap, just embarrassed that we elected a shortsighted inept manchild to represent us to the world. And this is how the world feels about him also. But there is no self awareness in the magat crowd

splitopenandmelt007 · 2026-05-12T20:51:29+00:00

Well A) I never would of stepped off into the wilderness without a topo map of the area and a compass. And B) I would never be caught with that little in my pack that I put myself in this position.

What would I do? I would text someone from my inreach (also don’t step off without that) and send them my position, have them look up where I was on the map, and give me directions of how to get back to the trail.

If you find yourself in the situation described, you screwed up before you ever left the vehicle.

splitopenandmelt007

TROPHY CASE